Tangmere
*TANGMERE: Military aerodrome but with very occasional civil use
See also Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
Note: First picture by the author. The second picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
The outline of the WW2 airfield can be clearly seen.
Military users: WW1: NLG for SACCDB 1918
RAF Training Squadron Station 1918
USAAS Training Squadron Station 1918
RAF Training Squadron Station and Training Depot Station 1918 to 1919
1920s & 30s: RAF Fighter Command
13 Sqdn (Bristol F.2B Fighters)
1 & 43 Sqdns (Gloster Sisken IIIs, Hawker Furys)
Note: It is possible 43 Sqdn received Hurricanes just before WW2)
87 Sqdn (Hawker Furys & Gloster Gladiators)
72 Sqdn (Gloster Gladiators)
601 Sqdn (Bristol Blenheims)
Note: These Blenheims were the Mk.1 fighter version
Note: These two pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
As TANGMERE closed in 1970, and the control tower is clearly in a dilapidated condition, I assume this picture dates from the 1980s. It could well be later of course but a video I have found on-line, dated 2009, shows it being in a far worse condition.
WW2: *Battle of Britain RAF Sector Station 11 Group
(10th July 1940) 43, 145 & 601 Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
Note: At around this point according to a report, 43 Squadron had pilots of fourteen nationalities serving. Needless to say this did present some problems, especially because some of the pilots could barely speak English!
(1st August 1940) 1 Sqdn had arrived with their Hurricanes plus 226 Sqdn with Spitfires and a FIU (Fighter Interception Unit) – radar equipped night fighters with Bristol Blenheims. Of the original three Hurricane squadrons from the previous month only 601 (City of London) Sqdn remained
(1st September 1940) 17 & 43 Sqdns Hurricanes – the latter coming back again
Also at one point 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqdn arrived with their Spitfires.
AT OTHER PERIODS IN WW2
RAF Fighter Command 11 Group
1, 43, 145 & 601 Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
Note: I might well be mistaken, but I think all these Squadrons were later re-equipped with Spitfires.
26 Sqdn (Hurricanes, later North American P-51 Mustangs)
65 & 616 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
92 Sqdn (Bristol Blenheims later Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
141 & 219 Sqdns* (Bristol Beaufighters)
331 (Norwegian) Sqdn (Spitfires)
401 (RCAF), 411 (RCAF) & 412 (RCAF) Sqdns (Spitfires)
486 (RNZAF) Sqdn (Hawker Typhoons later Hawker Tempests)
501 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
SOE operations: 161 (Special Duties) Sqdn (Westland Lysanders later Lockheed Hudsons)
Post 1945:
25 Sqdn (Gloster Meteors)
29 Sqdn (DH Mosquitos later Meteors)
245 (Radar Calibration Unit) Sqdn – became 98 Sqdn (English Electric Canberras)
266 Sqdn (Meteors)
FLEET AIR ARM
787 Sqdn (see 'Comments' below)
1950s: No.1 & 34 Sqdns (Hawker Hunters)
1961: 22 Sqdn Air-Sea Rescue (Westand Whirlwinds)
British airline users: (1940) Guernsey Airways and Jersey Airways
Gliding: Listed as operating in 1975
Location: S of A27, E to SE of Tangmere, 2nm E of Chichester
Period of operation: 1918 to 1970 (gliding in 1975)
Site area: WW1: 200 acres 914 x 869
Runways: WW2: 07/25 1829x46 hard 17/35 1463x46 hard
NOTES: Nos.1 and 43 squadrons operated Armstrong Whitworth Siskin fighters here in the late 1920s and early 1930s and performed at air shows around the country.
In the 1930s operation “Centurion” was held here. This involved 15, 40 & 101 Sqdns bombing the radio controlled WW1 battleship HMS Centurion. 103 Sqdn from USWORTH in COUNTY DURHAM took the aerial snaps it seems. Sounds like a fun job for all concerned?
THE GLOSTER GLADIATOR
It appears that the first RAF squadron to operate the Gloster Gladiator was 72 Squadron based here in February 1937. The Gladiator was the last biplane fighter commissioned by the RAF, but the first to have an enclosed cockpit although it retained a fixed undercarriage. The Gladiator was of course obsolete when it entered service, the Hawker Hurricane prototype having flown in November 1935. But, nonetheless, some 747 were ordered and built and in WW2, just with the RAF, they served in France, Norway and Greece. The Fleet Air Arm operated the type too as the Sea Gladiator. Plus, the Chinese Nationlist Air Force, the Finnish Air Force and the Norwegian Army Air Force also ordered the type.
I can just about remember making an Airfix kit of a Gladiator, quite possibly inspired by the Faith, Hope and Charity story/myth concerning the defence of Malta. Via Wikepedia it appears the following is hopefully a much more accurate account. “One of the best-known campaigns fought by Gladiators was the siege of Malta in 1940. The fighter force defending Malta was, for a period of 10 days, a small force of British-operated Gladiators, the Hal Far Fighter Flight, giving rise to a myth that three aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity, formed the entire fighter cover of the island. The aircraft names came into being only after the battle was over. In fact, more than three aircraft were operational, though not always at the same time, others were used for spare parts.”
What I regard as especially interesting is the caption of a picture shown on this Wikipedia page: “Faith (serial number N5520), a Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk.1, on the ground at an airfield in Malta, in about September 1940. The aircraft has been refitted with a Bristol Mercury engine and three-bladed Hamilton propeller salvaged from a Bristol Blenheim.” If this is correct, (and I have no reason to doubt it), then it would now seem to be a bigger and better story than the original? To achieve this conversion, during the heat of battle, must surely be a lasting memorial to what RAF groundcrew could accomplish, and quite an extraordinary feat of ingenuity.
Praise too, and much of it, to the pilot(s) prepared to then fly it into combat.
WW2 DETAILS
It is reported that Guernsey Airways and Jersey Airways used TANGMERE on the 8th, 11th and 18th February and the 2nd of March 1940 due to the unservicability of SHOREHAM. I have every reason to trust this report but still find it amazing as WW2 had been declared in September 1939, and it is often said - all civilian operation had to cease. This is actually far to simplistic as several forms of civil flying continued throughout the entire war. The two major cases being the upper and outer reaches of Scotland and the BOAC flying boat operations.
THE 'MILLIONAIRES' SQUADRON
One of my favourite Battle of Britain stories is when the 601 ‘Millionaires’ Squadron were posted here from NORTHOLT in 1940 during the Battle of Britain. They were so called because so many of the pilots came from wealthy families, and included the famous American Olympic toboggan gold medallist Billy Fiske. Due to petrol rationing it was becoming a problem to get enough petrol for their Bentleys and Morgans to race down to the Ship Inn when the order to “stand-down” came through. One bright spark went to the local garage with his chequebook and brought it, but failed to ascertain if it had any petrol in store - which it didn't. (I’ll conveniently forget his name). Whilst discussing the dilemma another of the pilots mentioned that he thought he was a director of Shell. He was advised to contact his secretary immediately to find out - and, as it happened he was! Needless to say a Shell tanker turned up shortly afterwards and the problem was solved. I suppose there is little point in being rich and influential if you can’t fight a war in the manner to which you are accustomed?
Joking apart it is worth mentioning that 601 Sqdn logged a very creditable combat score but paid a heavy price as did most if not all the other squadrons in 11 and 10 Groups. Billy Fiske died from his injuries shortly after nursing his burning Hurricane back to TANGMERE. It might be wondered why he didn’t bale out but he was probably aware (?) that many pilots who did so over the sea drowned before they could be rescued or so it is ofyen said. In fact they more likely died of hypothermia, providing of course that they hadn't suffered serious injuries. It became such a problem that later in the Battle of Britain (10th July to 31st October 1940) pilots were advised to enter combat only when over land. A task difficult if not impossible to comply with when flying from a coastal airfield. It might well be questioned today just why so many fighter squadrons were based so near to the coast as such a location gave nearly every advantage to the Germans.
Apart from the fact that the airfields themselves were easy targets for German bombers it was often not possible to climb to an altitude that favoured aerial combat, especially with the Luftwaffe Me.109s flying above the bombers and the Hurricane squadrons especially were ordered to only attack the bombers. This meant they were very exposed to being ‘jumped’ on by the fighters. 111 Squadron at least developed a highly dangerous but very effective method, they attacked the bombers head-on! The idea was to slow down to get a longer shooting period, (just a few seconds at best anyway), then dive beneath the stricken bomber. The negative G meaning that the engine faltered if not cutting out. Some pilots misjudged it and collided.
COMBAT TACTICS
The aerial combat techniques taught to RAF crews were mostly hopelessly outmoded and this is why, (apart from lack of combat experience obviously), so many raw recruits from the training units quickly perished, many on their first sortie. It might now seem very odd that the hard earnt experience of the pilots in the front line was so slow to filter back down the line? One explanation offered was the mind-set of so many RAF senior officers who were drilled in always following orders, there being little if any room for flexible thinking methods. For example the close ‘vic’ formation was a nightmare, utterly unsuitable for the circumstances and resulted in many RAF pilots lives being needlessly thrown away. It is, for example, very difficult to fly in close formation and keep a good lookout.
Another reason must have been the very short time period in which these hard won lessons were learnt. After all, nothing like it in aerial warfare, had ever been seen before. Without any doubt it was the foreign (including those from the Commonwealth) RAF pilots who mostly it now seems(?), were disregarding such methods and scored highly. And many today reckon it was their influence that probably swung the balance in the end? The more I learn the more I agree. This does not in the slightest detract from the contribution so many highly gifted and courageous British pilots made - it really was a numbers game in the end. Plus of course we must not forget, possibly our greatest single ally (?), was Reichsmarschall Herman Göering, in charge of the Luftwaffe who believed in the 'Big Wing' .
His ridiculous boasts to Hitler and almost total lack of understanding of basic tactics and his woeful appreciation of German aircraft performance capabilities certainly helped the RAF no end. Indeed, Sir Hugh ‘Stuffy’ Dowding, (Chief of Fighter Command) explained to Churchill at one point that he could not fathom the Luftwaffe strategy when, to him at least, another obvious and more successful strategy was available to them. It is often claimed that during WW1 Göering served as a pilot but I wonder if this bears investigation? Then again, by this this period, it is claimed that Göering was so often drugged up on pain-killers, he was barely able to make effective decisions.
For example in his fabulous book Battle of Britain Patrick Bishop says that when it was clear his Stuka dive-bombers were having unacceptable losses at the hands of the RAF Göering came up with the crack-pot idea that each Stuka should be guarded by three Me.109s. One of which should stand guard with the Stuka even when it was diving. This clearly shows that he had absolutely no appreciation of how both these aircraft operate. Even at cruise speeds with a Stuka the Me.109 would struggle to fly that slowly and remain fully manouevrable, thus become a sitting duck itself. And, it appears, even with full-flap lowered and the engine at idle it simply could not follow a Stuka in the dive, very quickly overtaking it.
It is now pretty obvious that the end of the operational role of the Junkers 87 Stuka dive-bomber in the Blitzkrieg method of attack which had proved so successful in conquering Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Poland, and The Netherlands during 1939 to 1940 – started here? The Stuka had earnt its ‘stripes’ during the Spanish Civil war in 1937 and went on to be regarded as a most fearsome weapon. But of course, it had met with virtually no aerial foe - until it attacked southern England. On the 16th August 1940 Stukas attacked TANGMERE and nine were shot down but still the Germans persisted. On the 18th August sixteen were shot down when attacking FORD and THORNEY ISLAND.
Without too much doubt the majority of Stukas were shot down by Hawker Hurricanes which were by far the most effective fighter the RAF employed during the early stages of WW2. In later years the North American P.51D Mustang took the honours both in the RAF and USAAF. So where does that leave the Spitfire we all swoon over today? The beautiful Spitfire certainly did take a major role in aerial warfare during WW2 but the fact remains the Hurricane in the early years and the Mustang in the later years can also claim the honour of being the most effective types during their respective periods of intense operation. The Spitfire however was a singular type in that the basic design was capable of tremendous development potential and this was fully realised by the team led by Joe Smith. I would highly recommend reading Spitfire's Forgotten Designer by Mike Roussel.
GROUND ATTACK
It seems to be somewhat overlooked today that apart from being excellent fighters (the Hurricane was the oldest and soon showed its age) all three types excelled in ground attack roles and other duties. For a rather extreme example obsolete Hurricanes were put on board merchant freighters in Atlantic convoys to be catapulted off to attack Focke-Wulf Condors which were looking for convoys and assisting the U-boat packs. After the sortie, unless being able to reach land, the pilot normally elected to bale out rather than ditch. Trusting he’d then be picked up!
As mentioned the one singular aspect that makes the Spitfire the ‘darling’ fighter of WW2 was that the design was capable of continued development throughout the conflict. To give just two examples the very high altitude photo-reconnaissance Spitfires played a most important role, and a bomber version made a huge contribution towards the end on pin-point targets such as German V.1 and V.2 rocket launching sites. Any argument as to what was “The BEST” fighter in WW2 is far too simplistic an idea to take seriously.
TANGMERE WAS UNUSUAL
I find it slightly interesting that in WW2 this fighter aerodrome had just two runways whereas most had three, (and many were grass of course), but also that they were of a length normally associated with bomber bases. Was this perhaps due to many bombers in difficulty landing here returning from raids in Europe? The FIU (Fighter Interception Unit) Squadron based here were amongst the very first RAF operational aircraft fitted with radar for Night Fighter duties.
HAROLD BIRD-WILSON
In his book Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Jarrod Cotter gives some history about Harold ‘Birdy’ Bird-Wilson who had a quite incredible flying career in the RAF, being the second member of ‘The Guinea Pig Club’ having had his face reconstructed by the now famous and pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibold McIndoe. I think it is well worth repeating. “In later years ‘Birdy’ retained vivid memories of attacking formations of more than 100 enemy aircraft as one of a force of only twelve Hurricanes: ‘Your throat dried up as you got nearer. I don’t believe any man who said he wasn’t afraid. We just went ploughing in, picked our target and fought.’
Here is a quote that really gets to me: “…he was shocked when the Battle of Britain ended in the autumn of 1940 to realise that: ‘There was hardly anybody left of the pilots who started out with me – all one’s friends had gone.’ In a photograph of ‘Birdy’ standing by a Hurricane with other 17 Squadron pilots taken in the summer of 1940, apart from him, all his friends and colleagues in the line-up lost their lives during the war.”
FOR St GEORGE AND ENGLAND?
Please excuse me for putting in this aside - but why St George? It is something that intrigues me, and what appears to amount for what is really nothing much more than empty sentiment, coupled with propoganda and hyped up media coverage. Perhaps typified by people who have little knowledge of history, (I am only on the nusery slopes), and display the red on white cross flags of ‘St George’ at every opportunity, as it appears he wasn’t even English, let alone British. The whole subject seems wrapped up in myth and legend. Was he possibly a Roman soldier and/or possibly of Arab descent? Either way a seemingly very odd choice to be a patron saint of England? But despite this, so many people in those days had a most remarkable notion about the intrinsic worth of their “nation”. Much in the same way, I suppose, as did the invading Romans, Vikings and Normans.
The price is paid by the men of arms, the men who decide to take up weapons and attack or defend what they perceive as being a cause worth losing their life for. The more I research the subject it appears that most of those in RAF front line had a very clear idea about this, (as did those in the Army and Navy of course), and many still do. I still struggle to get my head around the subject as, without any doubt wars are begun by people devoted to a cause; from the top and heavily relying on patriotism for support. But, without exactly the same ideals, how could the British armed forces have risen to the task of confronting the massive Nazi war machine?
KAREL KUTTELWASHER
I would like to include the astonishing story of Karel Miloslav Kuttelwascher, a Czechoslovakian pilot flying a Hurricane ‘Night Fighter’ from TANGMERE in 1942. His story must surely go down in history and he earned the name ‘Night Reaper’ after shooting down fifteen enemy bombers in three months over their own bases in France. After WW2 he became a Captain with BEA but died, after a heart attack aged 42, in 1959.
NIGHT FIGHTERS
*141 and 219 Squadrons were night-fighter operations. It is worth remembering that during 1941 to 1942 at least, Bristol Beaufighters equipped with radar operated by thirteen squadrons formed the bulk of the British night defensive aerial contingent. By then of course the main threat of large night bombing raids by the Luftwaffe had largely dissipated. The tide had turned and the Nazi regime was mostly engaged on defensive measures. As said elsewhere the raid on Hamburg in July 1943 really should have convinced the Nazi regime that their war was lost. But the senior officer group loyal to Hitler were it seems, and as we'd say today - in denial.
A VERY SECRET OPERATION
Although based at several airfields before settling at TEMPSFORD in BEDFORDSHIRE in 1942, 161 SD (Special Duties) Squadron invariably used TANGMERE as their setting off point for delivering and collecting 'special agents' from sites, usually just fields, in France. Flying at night by moonlight, these operations were invariably fraught with danger, and only highly skilled pilots were employed.
It is highly recommended to read 'We Landed By Moonlight' by Hugh Verity, first published in 1978, to gain a better understanding of what was involved. It appears that the forerunners to 161 Squadron, such as 419 Flight, probably used TANGMERE previously. Their 'operations base' was a cottage just outside of the airfield and not far from the main entrance. This doubled as accommodation for the pilots, and also a reception point for both outbound and inbound agents and VIPs.
For example, without going into details, and certainly not on official business, a visit to the 'Cottage' was arranged for Anthony Eden and his wife who were often staying nearby to get a rest. Eden was then the Foreign Secretary in the Government, and, after being shown around admitted he had no idea what had been going on here. Great delight and hilarity from those of 161 Squadron present at the time. But, at the UK end at least, it does go to prove just how effective the SOE 'blanket of secrecy' was. And indeed, how the French regime under General de Gaulle were also operating an effective campaign to keep many of their arrangements in the UK equally secret.
AFTER THE WAR
THE FIRST ‘TANGMERE’ WORLD AIR SPEED RECORD
Following on from the success in November 1945 when a Meteor flying from MANSTON (KENT) gained the first post WW2 world air speed record of 606mph, the RAF set up a High Speed Flight here in June 1946. Also equipped with Gloster F.4 Meteors plans were set in place for another attempt. Poor weather resulted in endless postponements but eventually, on the 7th September, two Meteors were readied to fly along the coast at low level past Littlehampton.
At 17.45 Group Captain ‘Teddy’ Donaldson took off in EE549 and made his runs, landing at 17.59. At 18.11 Squadron Leader ‘Bill’ Waterton (a Canadian) took off in EE550 but his aircraft, when passing 580mph developed a tendency to dip its left wing which Waterton struggled to control. However, Donaldson did manage to break the record, raising the speed to 615.78mph. It might seem odd today to see films of these attempts as both aircraft, although highly polished, were painted in ‘standard’ RAF camouflage schemes. The Americans then raised the bar seven times in succession until 1953. See below.
A DANGEROUS BUSINESS
It is well worth pointing out that these early jet fighters were very dangerous aircraft to fly, especially during the training stages when no two-seaters were available, and indeed when viewed by todays standards they appeared to be almost deliberately designed to be dangerous, a view which Bill Waterton certainly had when working as a test pilot for Gloster which made him very unpopular with the company. He was quite right of course, as it appears nearly 900 Meteors were lost and about 450 service pilots killed flying them. Is it not quite incredible that, in those days, such a scale of losses and fatalities, pretty much on a scale expected in all-out war, was deemed to be acceptable?
THE SECOND ‘TANGMERE’ WORLD AIR SPEED RECORD
The following account is from Robert Jackson’s excellent book Britain’s Greatest Aircraft: “In August 1953 the prototype Hawker P.1067 was fitted with a Rolls-Royce RA.7R afterburning engine, in effect a ‘racing’ Avon, for an attack on the World Absolute Air Speed Record. Fitted with a sharply pointed nose cone fairing the aircraft was flown to Tangmere, Sussex, at the end of August for practice runs. On 7 September, Hawker’s Chief Test Pilot, Neville Duke, broke the record with an average speed of 1,171km/h (727.63mph). Twelve days later, the aircraft also established a 100km closed circuit world record at an average speed of 1,142km/h (709.2mph).”
Neville Duke, (later Sir Neville Duke), was of course one of the top aces in WW2 and it is well worth reading up on his truly remarkable life and career. In later life, he is said to have sold off his flying memorabilia at auction to fund a hip replacement for his wife, the NHS waiting list being far too long - a ploy he denied.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF TANGMERE HISTORY
Perhaps now little known but a highly significant aspect in British aviation history regards the Gloster Meteor FR.9 VZ608 which was modified by F G Miles Ltd at SHOREHAM to have an RB108 lift engine fitted in the centre fuselage. It first flew here on the 18th May 1956 before going to the Rolls-Royce facility at HUCKNALL (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE) on the 23rd May. A VTOL type was seen has highly desirable by the RAF in the ‘Cold War’ period, but when the Hawker-Siddeley Bristol Pegasus powered P.1127 emerged in 1960 all alternative VTOL methods were cut short.
Russell Vallance
This comment was written on: 2017-08-07 10:10:01787 Squadron Fleet Air Arm was stationed at Tangmere in 1945. This was a weapons and equipment trials unit and was known for its unusual 'one-of-everything' aircraft complement, ranging from the venerable Swordfish biplane to the latest Spitfire XXI. Most of the work in 1945 was experimenting with live firing of rockets from the various aircraft. In December 1945, 787 moved to work with the RAF Central Fighter establishment at West Raynham, Norfolk.
Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Russell, Many thanks for this information which I shall keep posted. Best regards, Dick
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
